Yeah so my PS4 crashed yesterday and I had to format the entire shit. Which was a blessing in disguise, really, as this frees me to buy an HDD with bigger capacity, because I'm absolutely sick of deleting games to free space for others.
In other news: Finally! Jason Hunter bka Inspectah Deck aka The Rebel aka Rollie Fingers aka Manny Festo aka Excalibur aka General Maximus. Ever since I started talking about the famed Wu-Tang Clan, I wanted to shed some light on what made the virulent specimen of humanity writing this post choose Jason Hunter as his favorite member of the Wu. Trust me, you'd be here for a long ass time.
This mammal's career has been, for many years now, the source of a gargantuan amount of frustration to many a Wu stan. Especially ones such as myself who favor him above his fellow Clansmen. For during the Wu's resident dictator RZA's lauded '5-year plan', the Rebel was a very definite standout as he continuously bodied almost each and every single song he participated in during said time period. That meant he was lyrically besting the likes of GZA (big accomplishment, that), Ghostface Killah, Method Man and Raekwon (even though the Chef rarely gets the better of any of his partners on a song. Reach deep into your stannery. You know it to be true.) And yet he lost an album that should've come out circa 95-96 due to bad luck on his part coupled with some pretty bad decisions on RZA's. I've mentioned this before and I'll say it again: How in the hell is friggin' Cappadonna worthier of RZA's official backing than Deck?! RZA, you already signed Rae to Loud, so since your whole business plan was spreading your team throughout various different record labels, why sign another member to Loud?! Moreover, it's your best player at the time! That caused a massive delay that only got worse as time passed and left the original version of Uncontrolled Substance (The PROPER version. With back-to-back RZA production and extensive Wu General features. Yep.) stuck in RZA's miserable-ass basement to be flooded not once, but two friggin' times!!! Which only made the wait longer. Enough negativity.
That being said, Deck's performances in the 5-year plan were so potent that when the time came for them to craft its final step, Wu-Tang Forever, (the best material by the Clan, group or solo. Period. No, I won't stop repeating that fact.) Deck, along with fellow spurned Clansmen Masta Killa and Golden Arms, shone the brightest. In INS' case, the demand finally grew to levels unprecedented. In addition to his continuing showings with the Wu, Deck scored various legendary collaborations outside his camp that only added to his stature, including such timeless songs like Above The Clouds, Tru Master, the ridiculously-named Tres Leches (Triboro Trilogy) & Verbal Slaughter with the incomparable Gang Starr, Pete Rock, Big Punisher & Cella Dwellas respectively. Which only added to the fans' by-then-ravenous demand for a full solo album where Jason can finally let loose for delf.
Which meant that our host had to start again from scratch. Bummer. Fortunately for him, he was a full-fledged Wu-Element (A fact many Wu stans conveniently ignore when listing their favorite producers), whom were the production team responsible for many of your favorite Wu songs, by the time he was granted the go-ahead by the fuckfaces at Loud. So naturally, he spent some time in the studio crafting some beats to use. What he didn't count on was the fact that several of his Clansmen would love his shit so much they'd pillage his stash of beats for their own albums. Yes, even RZA. So, Rebel had to fill the remaining gaps with his fellow Wu-Elements' contributions, except for one very notable exception.
According to Deck himself, this album went gold. Maybe in other countries, because the RIAA mentions no such milestone. Regardless of sales, the album was critically met with indifference and derision, forever dooming Inspectah Deck as a second-rate Wu General.
This post will settle the fallacy of said statement, once and for all. I don't care if I spoiled my verdict, read the fuck on.
INTRO
You read the name. Prince Paul or Reggie Noble, Deck is not. Skip this barf.
MOVAS & SHAKERS
RZA commissions a serviceable beat built around a Syl Johnson loop. Really, it's alright. I just want to hear Deck let loose over a more relentless instrumental. Speaking of which, Deck recognizes the playfulness thrown at him and he adjusts himself well. A competent opener that could've been so much more had the beat been more, ah, menacing.
9TH CHAMBER (FEATURING STREETLIFE, KILLA SIN, LA THE DARKMAN & BERETTA 9)
Killarmy's 4th Disciple tags in and brings the first Wu beat of the evening. Trust that it's a thigh-smacker. It's almost as if he took a page from fellow Wu-Element True Master with his iron-clanging sounds to great effect. Pity that the actual song is less than three minutes long, as the MCs here come fucking correct with 8 bars each. Every single one of them. Color me pleased at Beretta 9's contribution, which sounded like he was trying his damnedest to impress Deck with his flow skills. The reason why I said so is that I feared B9 would be the weak link in the song, but thankfully that's been proven wrong. This shit bangs.
UNCONTROLLED SUBSTANCE (FEATURING SHADII OF THE FORCE M.D,'S)
DJ Mathematics brings his lone contribution to Uncontrolled Substance through a masterful sampling of an Otis Redding classic. And Deck wastes no time in ripping the instrumental not one, but several digestive systems. This is the Deck people were looking for, and it's a precise beat with the macabre hitting Deck's lyrical sweet spot. Only one problem: Shadii should've never come within 100 square miles of the studio. His contribution is the lone reason so many Wu stans crap on the song today. Doesn't change the fact that the rest of the song is perfection. Awesome but not flawless.
FEMME FATALE
Deck finally debuts one of his beats on his album. This beat is proof positive that Deck has produced his fair share of stinkers. What makes me rest easy is that he paired it up with the feeblest of attempts at a sex rap, so people like me can fully remove this embarrassment from their digital music player of choice. Sucks for you vinyl and cassette dudes, though.
THE GRAND PRIX (FEATURING GOLDEN ARMS & STREETLIFE)
4th Disciple bows out of the album with a Bob Digital-esque beat preceded by a kung fu sample. The entire track seems to come from Deck's inspiration taken from his participation in Pete Rock's Tru Master video, where the MCs are portrayed as F1 racers. It must be said that the lyrical trio of Wu Generals fare infinitely better than Deck, PR and a very fallen Kurupt, stranded together on the source of inspiration. Beat's pretty good, and Deck devastates with him bookending fellow Wu Generals SL & Goldie's verses, but Deck announcing the "race" along with his adlibbing got very old very fast. All in all, Good but not flawless.
FORGET ME NOT
VIC, the Beatnuts' protege, contributes to this album a beat very uncharacteristic of him. Read: It's utter pig menses. I am simply gobsmacked that the producer who was behind fucking gems such as Boomerang with Big Punisher gave you this insult. Again, fortunately it's another sex rap you can erase from your playlist and your consciousness.
LONGEVITY (FEATURING GOLDEN ARMS)
The final main Wu-Element, True Master, finally shows himself on the album in his first of three beats provided therefor. This one is a deft custom Digital composition that moves things along nicely while staying completely out of both Wu Generals' way as they bring that ruckus. Golden Arms' negative capability display here is refreshingly potent. The first perfect song on this album.
WORD ON THE STREET
Three seconds from an Ernie Hines 70s treasure is all Jason needed to fashion himself a beat that many regard as his best. Well, count me out of that group. Not because the beat sucks. Hell no, the beat's absolutely timeless. But it's my honest belief that Deck has come up with several better instrumentals, not the least of which were Visionz from Wu-Tang Forever and the title track to GZA's heavily-shitted-on Beneath The Surface. Back to this song, though: the one nitpick I have against this song is that it doesn't need its hook at all. The rest is Deck presenting you with two long-ass verses that are a splendid display of storytelling. No lie, the level of detail and lyrical wizardry present here is a loud statement of just how underrated Deck's stature in this hip hop shit still is. And the second verse is even better than the first! Escalation done right! Truly one of the greatest songs I've ever heard.
ELEVATION
A resonating looping of an immortal David Axelrod classic, Deck's beat was so potent Ghost jacked it wholesale for a later album. You probably know the one, now. Anyways, Deck keeps things very short and very sweet with his entire song going just over two minutes but trust me, these are some of the best two minutes you'll ever hear in hip hop history. Deck's fadeout, as if this song is a mere interlude, before returning full blast with a scorching one verse wonder, never fails to leave me in awe. One of my absolute two favorite solo songs on this album, and yes it's better than the previous song. Fancy that. The outro following the proper song is hilariously bad.
LOVIN' YOU (FEATURING LA THE DARKMAN)
True Master is back with a beat that, coupled with Masta Killa's Queen, proves him pretty adept at scoring love songs. The way he chops up the Soul Children sample is nothing short of breathtaking. Deck recognizes what he's dealing with immediately and delivers a performance, consisting of two verses telling a story apiece, that remains one of my favorite love raps. See, rappers everywhere throughout human history? All you need is respect, and keep it genuine. La The Darkman is present on the song, but he's uncharacteristically inefficient with his lone verse despite his commendable attempts at imagery. However, this will not detract from your enjoyment of this song one bit. The beat and Deck's work are that good.
TROUBLE MAN (FEATURING VINIA MOJICA)
Common among hip hop superproducers is how they repay other luminaries in the hip hop game for contributing to their solo albums: They give said luminaries a beat or several to use on their respective albums. The least they can do, really. Sometimes these favors can lead to full-fledged collaboration albums, while others effectively end such relationships on amicable terms while leaving the door open. Here, The Chocolate Wonder (he's no longer a boy so it'd be foolish to call him such) repays the Rebellious One for his contribution on the abovementioned Tru Master by giving him an instrumental that flew over most people's heads. This beat is actually one of Pete's finest ever, with him composing new music outta meshing Isaac Hayes & Curtis Mayfield samples together, then letting the underrated Vinia Mojica loose with a Sade interpolation of all things, setting the canvas for the Inspectah to paint his vivid picture of ghetto life, with its ups and downs, and his role as one of its griots, with his flaws and wounds worn proud. A perfect diamond if I ever heard one.
R.E.C. ROOM
Goddamn, this is one relentless onslaught! For his final production on Uncontrolled Substance, TM goes way deep into his sample collection, building a bloodpumping instrumental around the most obscure sample of a Jacques Brel cover song. Another interesting piece of trivia is that, according to TM himself, this beat is the only one that survived the flood that took out Deck’s original album! And you know that when Deck is paired with beats like this, he goes absolutely nuts. This is one such example, as the punchlines tsunami through your consciousness. It's a very satisfying experience to hear Jason black out on a beat the way he did here. As for the hook? It's a fucking shoutout to his DMD crew from the 80s that comprise two thirds of the Wu you know and love today, so lay the fuck off son, will ya?
FRICTION (FEATURING MASTA KILLA)
RZA finally found his way back into the studio after sobering up from all the honey-dipped blunts he was smoking at that time. He finally gives Deck a beat fitting of his caliber, composed with the assistance of another obscure record, this time a hidden Ann Peebles gem. The result begs Deck and the fourth Wu General on the album, Masta Killa, to utterly violate it. And violate it, they do. Natural conclusion, really, as Deck and MK always had thunderous chemistry together. If only GZA made this cut. Oh well, still a perfect song.
HYPERDERMIX
May I present a contender, along with the earlier Elevation, for my absolute favorite solo track from Uncontrolled Substance. Hell, this competes with The City, again off Wu Forever, for the title of best solo performance in Deck's solo discography. What's more, he produced this song from start to finish, including commissioning Large Professor to mix it. The scratching of Ghost's opening line from Wisdom Body is genius, but the true highlight is Deck's rhyming. This is a true continuation of the tear he's been on since his Triumph in 97. (Pun very much intended) Let's count: This is the eighth dope ass song in a row. How is this album wack again?
SHOW N PROVE
Confession time: I hated this song when I first heard it, mostly because of its garbage-ass hook. Now, I've done a complete 180. While the beat by Wu-Element interns The Blaquesmiths is fairly decent, Deck's lyrics prove just how much the man was unparalleled within the Clan when it came to introspective rhymes. Not to say he's weak in the other areas, far from it, but nobody else in the Clan has come close to this level. I don't care if he quotes Ghost's Older Gods hook, this was yet another example of why he's my favorite Wu General. As you already know, I've embarrasingly meshed this song's acapella with the Beneath The Surface title track instrumental, out of thirst to hear more Deck rhymes on Deck beats and desperate to remove the awful hook. It's an abomination, I know.
THE CAUSE (FEATURING STREETLIFE)
The final beat of the album is appropriately Deck's own, and you know what? Despite me liking several of his beats more than this one, I think this beat is his most addictive. Hear me out: The Undisputed Truth-sampling beat admittedly starts off pretty bland, but once that small horn sample following the hook connects with your ears, you will play this song back an infinite amount of times. I guarantee it. And I haven't talked about Deck and SL's lyrical tag team yet. Fret not, as they both bring a punchline performance for the ages. Deck's flow is obviously more advanced than his fellow Clansman, but both leave a lasting mark nonetheless. Streetlife may be the best tag team partner in the Wu, as he's formed successful partnerships with Deck & Mef now. Coincidence? I doubt so.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Loss of original album aside, the biggest flaw this version of Uncontrolled Substance has is that it wasn't released in the early 90s, because the lack of musical cohesion between this album's songs would've been easily forgiven. Also, Deck suffered from not having the more well-known Clansmen support his album when his time to shine came. But maybe that was his own choice? Maybe he wanted to prove to everyone else that he was perfectly capable of carrying an album on his own. To that end, I believe he didn't fully succeed, as people trashed this album. As I've mentioned before on this blog however, hip hop fans can be very 'double-standard'ey. You find them praising albums like the fucking Blueprint to the heavens, while albums like this, with a very solid hit rate of amazing songs get crapped on. Because yes, there are only two songs on the album that are truly putrid. And the two interludes woven throughout this album are easily skippable, too. I'm sorry but I call it like I see it: This is a dope ass album. Among the best that the second run of Wu solos ever produced. And within the Wu camp, those are only topped by the 5-year plan solos. That's saying a lot.
WORTH IT? You goddamn right. If you call yourself a fan of true school hip hop and somehow don't own this, you are lying to yourself. Fuck this album's cover, though. (Didn't think I'd forget about that, did ya?)
TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN:
LET ME AT THEM
Deck's debut production, credited as a Wu-Tang Clan song on the Tales From The Hood OST. Deck brings a high energy beat and proceeds to violently smack it around the studio with his two verses, filled to the brim with angry punchlines. It's rare that I hear Deck this angry, and I like this side of him. Another successful blackout.
NIGHTSHIFT
This True Master production was cut off the proper album after being included in the promo copies, and was later pillaged by 9th Prince for a song off his solo debut. To whomever made that decision, fuck you. The exposure this song has lost as a result of that boneheaded decision cannot be quantified nor replicated. Why do I say this? Because the beat is absolute lava. No lie, it's right up there with Derrick's work on the Pillage. Deck gives you an even better version of Word On The Street, complete with a satisfying lack of that meh-est of hooks.
S.O.S. (FEATURING STREETLIFE)
Off the Wu vanity sampler The Swarm a year prior, This was a thuggery precursor to the vastly-superior punchline cut The Cause, and yet it still stands on its own two. Deck brings an adept organ-sampler of a beat for him and SL to utilize in convincing you that they're lyrically not to be fucked with. And they do accomplish said task in my opinion, with lines that will melt the skin off your face.
SEMI-AUTOMATIC FULL RAP METAL JACKET (FEATURING GOLDEN ARMS & STREETLIFE)
RZA was testing out his Bobby Digital sound at the time of this song's making for the High School High OST in 96. Which meant this was during his 5-year plan, thereby meaning he was very focused here, so it's no surprise that the resulting beat is pretty fucking good. He brings in Deck, Goldie & Streetlife, in a precursor to the Grand Prix combination this time, to give them some much-needed shine. And boy, do they ever bring the ruckus: Literally, all the verses are equally legendary. Hardcore heads might gravitate to SL's verse because it's longer than the rest, but truth be told people are sleeping on my man Goldie's negative capability, as always. Deck preserves his awesome streak. This is a must-have for every Wu stan out there. And we're done.
Off the Wu vanity sampler The Swarm a year prior, This was a thuggery precursor to the vastly-superior punchline cut The Cause, and yet it still stands on its own two. Deck brings an adept organ-sampler of a beat for him and SL to utilize in convincing you that they're lyrically not to be fucked with. And they do accomplish said task in my opinion, with lines that will melt the skin off your face.
SEMI-AUTOMATIC FULL RAP METAL JACKET (FEATURING GOLDEN ARMS & STREETLIFE)
RZA was testing out his Bobby Digital sound at the time of this song's making for the High School High OST in 96. Which meant this was during his 5-year plan, thereby meaning he was very focused here, so it's no surprise that the resulting beat is pretty fucking good. He brings in Deck, Goldie & Streetlife, in a precursor to the Grand Prix combination this time, to give them some much-needed shine. And boy, do they ever bring the ruckus: Literally, all the verses are equally legendary. Hardcore heads might gravitate to SL's verse because it's longer than the rest, but truth be told people are sleeping on my man Goldie's negative capability, as always. Deck preserves his awesome streak. This is a must-have for every Wu stan out there. And we're done.
Converted you into a fellow Rebel fanatic, huh? Indulge, my fellow crazy person.
An added bonus for you reading the entire review, here you go:
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